The Portland daily press., 1887-03-16
AFTER THE GREAT DISASTER.
Twenty-four Persons Known to Have
Been Killed.
And Fifteen others Said to be Very
Badly Injured.
The Number Of Wounded Probably
over 90,
sorrowfuI Scenes and Mourning in
Dedham over the Accident
The Investigation Before the Rail-
road Commissioners Begun.

1
road Commissioners Begun.
What Experts Think Regarding the
Fatal Bridge.
BosToN, March 15.-The scene at the
wreck this morning was rendered extremely
wintry looking by the thin covering of snow
spread over the grouud, and against this
| background of white the broken timbers and
twisted iron stood out in bold relief, A large
wrecking gang was at work clearing away
the mass of tangled girders, rods, beams,
rails and car trucks that iswedged in between
the abutments, and was making slow pro-
gress. Another gang was busy in erecting
large derrick on the northern abutment to be
used in lifting trucks and beams from the
chasm below. The two least injured cars of
| those that remained ON theembankment have
been taken away, while the third. minus its
trucks, still stands at the side of the track.
OF the cars that went into the chasm the
smoker has been broken up completely in the
| work of removal, while the others remain in
much the same position as when they first
crashed down. 1t will be some days before
the wreck will be removed sufficiently to
| allow of the construction of temporary
trestle. In the meantime trains are run from
Dedham to Roslindale and return, connecting
| with Boston trains via Readville at Dedham.
There were hundreds of sight-seers. among
whom were many ladies, at the wreck this
morning, but they were kept at distance by
| details of officers under Sergeant McCaus-
land of Station ID. Relic hunters got frag-
ments of wood from the wrecking cars as
| tLey got back away from the wreck, and
| about everybody coming from the scene has
| some souvenir One young man carried off
| the numbered panel on the side of car No. so.
investigation by the Commissioners.
The railroad commissioners this afternoon
| began an investigation into the causes of the
| accident on the Dedham branch of the Bos-
| ton d Providence railroad Yesterday There
| were about dozen present, among whom
| were Superintendent Folsom of the Provi-
| dence road, Mr.. George Putnam, counsel for
| the road, and Mr.. George +. Williams, who
| appeared for certain Of the injured. Five
| employees of the road, including Superin-
tendent Bridges and Conductor Alden of the
| wrecked train.
The first witness was W. A. Alden, one
| of the conductors of the train, who testified
| that ne lives at Dedham. He had been con-
ductor on the branch since 1879. The train
was on time at Rosindale and when it
reached the bridge was going at the rate of
II miles an hour, the regular rate. There
were nine cars on the train, eight coaches
| and a combination car, the combination car
| being in the rear The forward cars were
very well filled but the witness could not say
about the rear cars. In the two forward
| cars there were so or 80 passengers Mr.. Til
den had charge of the three middle cars, and
Mr.. Drake of the three rear cars. The wit
ness was in the second car from the end at
the time of the accident. When asked to
describe as nearly as possible the nature of
his experience the witness said that would
be impossible.
"When did you notice anything out of the
way?' asked the chairman
Il did not have time to notice anything"
replied the witness.
The first he knew he was sitting right on
the floor with the cushions of seats all
around him. There were only three or four
in the car when he picked himself up, the
Others having got out of the doors and win
dows. As soon as he recovered his senses
somewhat, he looked in the car for injured,
but found none, nor in the car behind. That
car was torn in pieces worse than his car,
but nobody was in it, did not go into the
front car at all.
The witness continued: "Then got into
the next car behind the one was in. The
car that went into was very much wrecked.
There was nobody there when L went in.
Those three cars were all lthere.were on the
Boston side of the bridge. Then / went
down the north side of the embankment and
HelpcQ 10 Seb Tue WOuuu6u ana Qedu out. In
reply to questions by Chairman Crocker the
witness said he had never felt any peculiar
motion Of that bridge in going over it. He
had never felt any jar of the train as it was
leaving the bridge; never told anybody that
he did not like that bridge and never had
any special anxiety in regard to that bridge.
Walter Z. White, engineer of the wrecked
train, testified: Was running - to 10 miles
an hour at the time of the accident. When
struck on to the bridge everything seemed
to be all right and strong, with no swinging,
but when got on to the Boston side | saw
the forward end of the engine come out with
a jar and the drivers came along with
shock. | looked around and the forward car
went off the track and the coupling broke.
| reversed the engine and was about to stop,
| when | looked back and saw the first and
second cars off the track, and | continued to
| go back and saw a cloud of smoke rise, and
| then l knew they had gone through the
| bridge. l slowed up and had almost stopped,
when happened to think they needed more
| help, that we two could not do much. and so
| fan'down to Forest Hills as quickly as
on ifs the aOutment. ana'n didn't dEih14s knows %aS
| the bridge had dropped away any then.
b she dea how se fRss se up
felt shock. / don't know if the rail was
| actually broken at that time. / think
| the blow was the hardest ON the right side of
| the engine, but did not notice any canting
| down. The bridge was always as solid as
rock; never noticed anything wrong with it,
! have never thought this particular bridge
was not strong enough, and never felt any
uneasiness about it. Witness said he could
| not say for his life what caused the accident.
| Whether it was broken Journal or brok-
| en- wheel, or broken rail. The jar seemed
! like that when you back off table to go into
| the engine house; when one rail is little
| above the other. He has felt the same thing
exactly when the engine has struck broken
| rail. lie was working steam over the bridge
| at the time of the accident.
| John Trip of Dedham and Elisha G. An
mis- testified that they had never no.
| ticed any jar to the train in passing the
| bridge, and had never known anything to be
the matter with 1t. Adjourned until tomor-
| row.
w. n. Newton-s ese-rs.
VIII. Newton Of Central station had
iuffacufou5 escape from ueaIn. Ito Tyes IN
| the smoking car first, but changed his MIND
and. decided to ride in the car next to the
| last.
| Drake was standing near him. When the
crash came he was thrown into the aisle and
buried beneath pile Of seats. lie helped
Drake extrcate himself from the debris,
and afterwards assisted in taking out the
body of Policeman Lailer.
Mr. Newton was badly injured himself in
the leg, and has several bruises on his back
and chest.
|
An Interview with Prof. vose.
Prof Vose, of the Institute Of Technology,
Boston. formerly of the engineering depart
ment of Bowdofn College, was found today
at the Providence station in conversation
with railroad officials Professor Vose, as is
well known, is one of the most competent
bridge engineers in New England. He has
spent his life studying the construction of
wood and iron bridges
He said: 'YOu may say that was at the
scene of the accident all day yesterday, to-
gether with number of members of the
Massachusetts Scientific Society and Insti-
tute students, examining the bridge, OF
: rather the pieces thereof, and don't know the
exact cause of the accident: l would moi
dare TO venture an opinion. ! am going out
again today and don't know as | shall gel
any more light on the subject
1 can only say that have examined pieces
, | of the iron and have an idea That some was
defective. However don't wish to con
denim any one until the truth is known. L
seems to me wrong for any one to jump to ;
Conclusion or explanation after only casua
/. examination. Some Of my stu students wer'
i busy Yesterday sketching what they sup
posed TO be the weak spot In the bridge. on.
b said to me: Here is the cause Of the acci
dent / replied, My dear sir, you are mis-
| .hb M fhr railrnad off